Oolong from the large-leaved Foshou cultivar, protected as a GI for Yongchun County (GB/T 21824-2008); its aroma is likened to pear or citron.
Large, curled, dark-green to brown leaf. Rich aroma with a strong cultivar note likened to pear or citron; mellow, thick taste.
The institutional cultivar record locates the plant’s origin in Anxi. Yongchun county’s own current overview also says the plant came from Anxi and describes local cultivation at Shifengyan in 1704. This is compatible with a later Yongchun production tradition. The early date is the county’s historical account; the original genealogy has not been examined here.
GB/T 21824-2008 《地理标志产品 永春佛手》 (issued 5 May 2008, in force 1 October 2008, confirmed in 2025) limits the protected area to Yongchun County. It defines the tea as oolong from cutting-propagated Foshou plants grown there. It sets four grades for 成品茶 and five for 精制成品茶; moisture ≤7.0%, powder ≤1.3%, ash ≤6.5%, and broken tea ≤12.0% for the refined grade.
AQSIQ approved the GI in December 2006: the Quanzhou government and zh-Wikipedia give 28 December 2006, while a 2007 press report says November. The notice number was not found.
GB/T 30357.7-2017 (oolong, part 7: Foshou) defines Foshou tea by cultivar, wherever it grows, in clean, heavy and aged styles.
The making technique joined Fujian's provincial intangible heritage list in November 2010.
Area and output: 42,000 mu and over 5,000 t in 2008 (CQN); 48,000 mu, 6,900 t and 1.5 billion yuan in 2021 (Quanzhou government). The main gardens lie at 600–900 m in Sukeng, Yudou, Kengzaikou, Jindou and Guiyang; Sukeng alone has over 10,000 mu.
A 2022 CAAS-led experiment compared Foshou, Tieguanyin and Shuixian made as clean-aroma, roasted and aged oolongs. Foshou retained a distinctive chemical profile; higher levels of several flavonoid glycosides did not produce significantly stronger astringency in the sensory comparison. The useful lesson is that one compound class cannot predict the whole cup.
The county describes the tea through pear- or citron-like aroma and its Foshou plant material. This oolong should not be confused with a tea blended with actual citron peel. See Foshou for the plant and Muzha Tieguanyin for another case where place and processing qualify a familiar cultivar name.
Zhongguo mingchazhi (2000, pp. 389–391) records a Foshou process with repeated baking and cloth rolling: two or three cycles build its tightly curled shape before the final drying. The account describes the fresh leaf as large and soft and the finished leaf as substantial and tightly curled, with a citron-like aromatic impression. This explains a physical part of the tea’s identity beyond its name. The book’s historical manufacturing description does not determine the roast or flavour of a particular modern lot.
Price ranks compare recorded retail offers for the same tea, including offers outside the current delivery filter. Shipping and import charges are excluded.
| Product | Vendor | Price | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
Premium Organic Yong Chun Fo Shou Oolong Tea (25 g)
Details and price notesCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
Shop base currency USD. Excludes import duties/taxes. |
Dragon Tea HouseWorldwide |
$4.99 / 25 g | $19.96 ≈ $1.60 a session |
Premium Yongchun Fo Shou (Bergamot Citron) Fujian Oolong Tea (100 g)
Details and price notesCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
Shop base currency USD. The seller's pages do not state whether this price includes tax. Excludes shipping. |
iTeaworldWorldwide |
$29.99 / 100 g | $29.99 ≈ $2.40 a session |
Sea Dyke XTJ2902 Golden Flower Citron Fo Shou Oolong Tea (210 g)
Details and price notesCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
Shop base currency USD. Excludes import duties/taxes. |
Dragon Tea HouseWorldwide |
$70.99 / 210 g | $33.80 ≈ $2.70 a session |
| Yong Chun Lao Cong Fo Shou 2021 | Sazen TeaWorldwide |
€21.60 / 20 g | $121.12 €108.00 / 100 g ≈ $9.69 a session |
Prices recorded on the dates checked. Conversions use ECB rates dated 2026-10-20; original prices appear alongside. Origin, age and cultivar are stated by the vendor.
| Product | Vendor | Channel | per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium Organic Yong Chun Fo Shou Oolong Tea (25 g) | Dragon Tea House | International retail | $19.96 |
| Premium Yongchun Fo Shou (Bergamot Citron) Fujian Oolong Tea (100 g) | iTeaworld | International retail | $29.99 |
| Sea Dyke XTJ2902 Golden Flower Citron Fo Shou Oolong Tea (210 g) | Dragon Tea House | International retail | $33.80 |
| Yong Chun Lao Cong Fo Shou 2021 | Sazen Tea | International retail | $121.12 |
